Always There
by Jm-b
Summary: DJ-Takes place not long after the series finale. It's a one part DJ fic that shows their continual bond and friendship but their lingering feelings for one another are re-examined after something happens.


Always There, a one part DJ fic  
  
A/N: Okay first of all I don't own anything to do with DC so don't sue me. Also, this takes place after the series finale and shows the long-lasting DJ bond and friendship, which is re-evaluated after something happens years down the line.  
  
In the years that passed after Jen's funeral, a few things changed and a few things didn't. Jack stayed in Capeside with Doug to raise Amy and Grams moved back to Capeside as well to help them and watch her great- grandchild grow. Pacey continued to work at the Icehouse and commute to New York to visit Joey, who began work on her masters degree in literature at Columbia. Dawson returned to Los Angeles and continued to work at "the Creek," even creating a few popular teen dramas out of it. No one was prouder of him than Joey. She would call every week after the show, with or without Pacey there, to congratulate him and tell him how proud she was of him. Their bond was re-established and they never went more than five days without talking to one another. Despite his dull pangs of jealousy about Pacey and Joey's re-attempt at dating, Dawson was always there for her as she was for him. He flew her out to Los Angeles for every opening of his movie, holding her hand and caring only about her opinion of the movie, never once caring what the Times or the latest Hollywood variety publications thought. He was there when she received her masters, waiting anxiously outside Columbia for her while she defended her thesis, taking her later to celebrate at the Rainbow Room. He was there for her during Pacey's still constant bouts of jealousy and anxiety over their relationship, fighting with her over her close friendship with Dawson. Dawson even sent the network's jet to collect her when she called him crying, saying Pacey left her again, this time for good. She stayed with him for weeks, collecting herself and letting him spoil her rotten.  
  
Their close relationship though also dampered several of Dawson's relationships, despite his objections to the contrary. He dated a lot, made the rounds to hotspots and events, outside of his premieres of course when Joey was his date, with a variety of women. He couldn't remember all their names but they never really lasted more than a month or two. Eventually they got tired of Dawson always working, never making time for them and always speaking to his assistant rather than him. On top of that, they grew jealous and angry when he would always make time to talk with Joey, making sure she never spoke to his assistant, taking phone calls from her while they would be at dinner or at his house. They hated when he would bend over backwards for her, having things planned for when she would arrive and spending all of his time with her when she was in town, sometimes forgetting dates or plans he had with them. One mildly psycho ex- girlfriend even broke all his kitchen glasses when he left her to watch a movie alone in his living room while he spent hours on the phone with Joey discussing the pros and cons of her going for her doctorate degree. Joey knew that his girlfriends hated her, hated when she called and demanded his attention, taking him away from them and believe it or not she didn't mean for it to happen. She wanted him to be happy with someone, but whenever they were together, talking or visiting, it was always like it only the two of them existed. It was typical as well for Dawson to call her at work, constantly getting her in trouble, when he had writers block or needed to use her as a sounding board for ideas. She got scripts and ideas for the show before anyone else in his office did. She always told him what was good or bad and he never questioned her judgment and she never once let him down in her choices either.  
  
After a few years of this, Joey called his office crying one day to tell him she was pregnant, by accident after a one-night stand with Eddie, whom she ran into while attending a writing seminar at NYU. Despite renewed feelings of jealousy, Dawson offered her help and spent most of his show's hiatus with her in New York, preparing for the baby, going to doctor's appointments and Lamaze classes. He was fascinated as he watched her stomach grow, feeling the child move inside her, privately wishing it was his. But when summer came to an end, he had to go back to LA for the show, but called twice a day as the due date drew closer, keeping the network's jet on hand for when she did go into labor. He got that call while he was editing that weeks' episode and literally dropped everything to run and catch his flight out there. Fortunately it was a long labor and he made it in time to be with her as she went into the delivery room and give birth to Mitchell Michael Potter, who looked just like his mother with a pair of deep, haunting brown eyes, a patch of brown hair and Joey's little pout.  
  
After helping her get settled in New York with the baby, Dawson returned to Los Angeles, but continued to fly out to see Joey and Mitch and fly them to California at any given moment. He always missed Joey's company, her laugh and smile, but after Mitch was born, he missed her and the baby more. Pictures of them were all over his house and office and he gushed with the other fathers and soon-to-be dads at the office about Mitch. As years continued, Joey and Mitch always came to visit their "uncle Dawson" in California and Dawson always made it a priority to be in New York at least once a month to visit. He was there again when Joey finished defending her dissertation at Columbia, taking her and Mitch on a picnic in Central Park and then out to the Rainbow Room for dinner. He was there when Mitch went trick-or-treating for the first time and every year after. Dawson postponed the start of "the Creek" to be there with Joey when Mitch went to his first day of kindergarten and Dawson left a November sweeps meeting with executives to be there when Mitch fell and broke his arm, causing him to spend a night in the hospital. He taught Mitch how to ride a bike in Central Park and played catch with him, sometimes inside Joey's loft, causing her to yell and throw them out for several hours. They were blissfully content, although neither Dawson nor Joey would admit that they missed one another like nuts and despite their close relationship, wanted something more. Things were going so well between them and both were a bit hesitant to do anything that might screw it up. Dawson still tried to date when he was in LA, but few women understood his close relationship to Joey and her son and refused to stick it out, especially when they knew from the start that they ranked third on a list of priorities, behind Joey and work.  
  
Years continued to go by and soon Mitch was starting middle school. Joey always called him "uncle Dawson," but Mitch always thought of him more like a dad. Mitch never knew anyone else close to his mom that would drop everything like Dawson did for her and she would do the same for him. The visits to California though were less frequent as he continued to grow, restricting them mostly just summer vacations, but they always went for a month, and Mitch always saw his mom's mood change as they would ready themselves to leave for their visit. Dawson loved his mom and she loved him, Mitch could see it. He first saw it at his 8th grade dance, his first actually taking a date and Dawson flew up there to surprise them and help chaperone the dance with Joey. During a slow song Mitch looked over and saw them dancing so close that they looked like one person. Mitch could see the starry-eyed looks on their faces, almost like teenagers themselves. Later when he casually broached the subject of marriage with them, both laughed nervously and shared a private look, which Mitch didn't miss.  
  
Finally when Mitch was ready to enter high school, something changed. He knew Dawson would be coming up to visit and see him start school like he had done for years, but a week before Dawson's scheduled visit, Joey suddenly became sick. Mitch knew his mother had always been rather healthy, outside of a regular cold, but whatever she had made her deathly sick. She tired to hide it from him but he came home one day to find her passed out on the floor and rushed her to the hospital while the doctors tried to determine what was wrong. Finally after an hour of tests, one of the doctor's told Mitch that Joey somehow contracted meningitis and they were going to administer a round of antibiotics, but they didn't know if it would actually save her. In a daze, Mitch dialed Dawson's number, begging the receptionist, who said he was in a private meeting, to get him, saying it was a matter of life or death.  
  
"Mitch what's the matter?" Dawson said breathlessly, gasping for air in the phone, apparently he bolted out of the boardroom when he heard and raced back to his office to take the call.  
  
"Mom's sick," Mitch said, choking back tears.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Dawson panicked.  
  
"I came home and found her lying on the floor.the doctor's she has meningitis and they don't know if there's still time to save her," Mitch said, breaking into tears. The silence on the other line was deafening.  
  
"I'm leaving now and will be there soon, call me if you hear anything good or bad.find out from her doctors who the specialists are and we'll get them to New York to see her," Dawson said, his voice faltering a bit.  
  
"Okay," Mitch sighed, getting himself together before hanging up and returning to the hospital chairs to wait.  
  
True to his word, Dawson got immediately on a plane, postponing the season premiere of his new show so he could fly to New York and take care of Joey and Mitch until they knew more. Mitch tried to be strong, sitting next to Joey when they finally let him in to see her. She was pale and thin and unconscious but he held her hand tightly, promising he would be there and that Dawson was on his way. When Dawson did arrive, he looked tired and scared, something Mitch had never seen on him before. He offered words of comfort, promising she would pull through, but Mitch could see the doubt in his eyes and he saw the same fear that he had, that Joey would leave them. When Dawson finally was able to go in and see Joey though, one of the nurses stopped him.  
  
"It's immediate family only, no friends," she said sternly, glaring at Dawson, who was still in a daze.  
  
"But..." Dawson started, amazed that this was happening now.  
  
"He's my dad.let him go in," Mitch said out of the blue, looking at Dawson curiously for his reaction. Dawson nodded, trying not to let on the truth.  
  
"Fine, but visiting hours are almost over," she said, pointing him in the direction of her room. He sat for hours with her, stroking her hand and talking to her about work and anything that came to his mind. He talked to her doctors about flying in a specialist but they said the antibiotics were working slowly and they should wait. For the next week it was touch and go but finally the antibiotics were working more and she finally woke up.  
  
During that week though Dawson stepped into full father mode, taking Mitch to school, making sure his homework was done and that he still made it to his part-time job on time. While Mitch was gone, Dawson stayed every day at the hospital with her, refusing to leave unless he had to. When she finally woke up, Mitch and Dawson were there and all three shared a tearful reunion. A few days later she was released from the hospital and both men took her home, making sure she was comfortable and could focus solely on getting better. Dawson refused to leave, opting to spend that year in New York and taking a leave of absence from work to stay with her because she was too weak to take back to California with him. Mitch watched them together and saw that whatever hesitation they had for admitting their true feelings for one another was now gone. He saw Dawson help her walk and work with her to regain her strength and helped Mitch with the cooking at cleaning around the loft. Dawson and Joey kissed openly and constantly held hands. Sometimes they would just hold one another for a long time and for no reason, whether it was while he was making dinner or watching a movie. Dawson moved into the guest room, but always snuck into Joey's room at night to lie beside her and hold her tightly in his arms, still afraid she would leave.  
  
It took a month for Joey to get fully better and regain all her strength, just in time to see Mitch's first varsity basketball game. It was a big deal at Mitch's school for a freshman to start on the varsity team. Dawson was also offered a better job as an executive in New York for the network, who opted just to transfer him out there rather than have him commute between LA and New York as he had for so many years. So he moved to New York and right in with Mitch and Joey. With Mitch's permission, he asked her to marry him six weeks later and within another month they wed in Capeside with Gail, Bessie, Bodie, Alex, Lily and Mitch beside them. They took a brief honeymoon in Hawaii before returning to New York where they stayed for good. 


End file.
